Tonight, the World Cup will be held in the final round of Group E. Asian representative Japan will face the European powerhouse Spain, and the Eastern Bloc is on the verge of going out of the World Cup after losing the last match.
an upset (esp. in sports)
After winning against Germany, how about another miracle in the form of the "Soccer Heroes" drama? On the other hand, the 4-time champions Germany must win against Costa Rica to be on track.
beyond the pale
Will the Germans be able to survive or will they go out of the tournament for the second consecutive time? Fans will have to wait and see!
Japan's Sakura wars with Spain, who lost all three of their points last time out.
beyond the pale
The situation has taken a turn for the worse, so they will have to give it a go if they can't win this game. A draw is enough for Spain, so they don't need to fight with their opponents, and they are expected to play a pass-and-control style of football again. Japan hasn't lost by 2 goals or more in their last 6 WC matches. -0.5 (-1.5) is a good bet for the underdog. (Now 618 and 616 live at 3am on Friday)
Japan's first battle
an upset (esp. in sports)
The 2-1 win over Germany proved that they can compete with the top tier teams, but the leader Morihiro Ichi suddenly rotated his team against Costa Rica in the last match with the intention of giving rest to the main players, thinking that a draw wouldn't be bad, but it didn't turn out to be true and they lost 0-1. If they lose again this time, they will be declared out of the World Cup, and they will be ready to play with the same spirit as they had in the first match against Germany. It's worth noting that Japan has won 2, drawn 1 and lost 3 of their 6 matches in the last 2 World Cups, with only a 1-goal net loss in all 3 defeats, so the underdogs have some merit in the handicap of -1.5 this time around.
Spain and Bosnia and Herzegovina
beyond the pale
One more point is enough for Spain with 4 points in hand.
advancement
The team has been playing a lot of games in the past, and they are ready to play a lot of games in order not to lose their main team. In fact, their first match against Costa Rica was a big upset because the opponent was not good enough to win the match against Germany, which was in average form, and was forced to draw even after taking the lead. They also had a narrow 1-0 win against another Asian team, Iran, in the last World Cup, so the risk is high for the underdogs, who will have to take the underdogs.
